k iv just started up my pc again from scratch ( :( tunns of ev stuff lost) and iv lost my norton anti virus disc thingy so i cant install it. is there anything i can get off the internet which can act as norton while im waiting to get the 2005 addition?? also when i click on a link to open another window it doesnt work. it comes up with a blank internet explorer page. what can i do??

If you're using internet explorer i suggest you find another browser to use, because microsoft tracks all your history pages and crap, they're basically spying on us, but anyways, i suggest maxthon browser, or MYIE2. Some people prefer firefox but i dont like firefox's tab options. For the virus thingy, you dont need anything, just dont download porno, hacks, cracks, any file looking suspicious do not dl or execute and you're fine. The best virus protection usually gets penetrated by brilliant hackers basically hackers will do their best to get a challenge and rip up the best virus protection i guess to show off their L33t Skills. Tips are, never leave your computer idoling, spyware will attack, turn off screen saver thingy, because that'll might help you save files but it also tells you that the persons away from the computer and its ok to hack. Good luck.

I would first grab Firefox from www.mozilla.org


Also, don't use p2p programs like kazza or download lots of random junk.

Firefox will block most of that though and I would say it's probably your best bet.

would a fire wall do anything?? i will be downloading stuff from winmx and stuff. not now. im gunna wait til iv got norton back?

A firewall is great but theres always leaks if you dont know how to use it. I recommend nothing, because even with firewalls, virus protection, no matter what there will always be a hacker intelligent enough to go through any firewall. Most people will recommend zonealarm for the job, but ive seen it myself that zonealarm is easily penetrated. and its disturbing how the program sometimes block off some useful things. Just take my advice on the other reply, dont download suspicious files. Look for registry mechanic on download.com and use that, you might need a serial code for the program, but its a great program, fixes your registry files. Just run it every week.

A software firewall is next to pointless.

Basically it just shows you what's comming in and out, but is easy to break & get around.


They can still come in handy, but personally I think they are a waste of time.

The Windows XP SP2 Firewall is good enough for me though. It does a very good job of cleaning up all the open ports XP had with sp1. Best of all it's free.

Definately download Adaware from www.lavasoftusa.com (http://www.lavasoftusa.com) and that will help keep the spyware down atleast. Between adaware, norton, and windows firewall, ive never had a virus on my computer, and im always downloading stuff and surfing the net. Just make sure to use those tools religously to keep all the cr_p off your computer.

i'll contribute some stuff that may be of use to you or any others reading this.

Some people prefer firefox but i dont like firefox's tab options.
if you dont like the tab options then don't use them. they work perfectly fine without them.

For the virus thingy, you dont need anything, just dont download porno, hacks, cracks, any file looking suspicious do not dl or execute and you're fine.
Also, don't use p2p programs like kazza or download lots of random junk.
some of us have internet access just to be able to do these things. don't download and execute? you may as well remove yourself from the internet community.

just use common sense before you click 'ok'. steer clear of suspicious files like Spearow says. don't accept anything that from a source that isn't known to you. microsoft, adobe, yahoo, apple, google. and such are reputable sources and are ok to accept and click ok to.

if your really paranoid just use macs. it's not that macs are more secure that pcs it's just that virus authors will want to get more bang for their buck so 95% of all viruses and other malicious progams, etc will target windows.

would a fire wall do anything?? i will be downloading stuff from winmx and stuff. not now. im gunna wait til iv got norton back?
yes firewalls do something. if you don't have one and you are running xp i turn on the default firewall that xp comes with. granted it's like hiding behind a screen door while someone is shooting a flame thrower at you it's better than nothing. to enable it just click start/control panel/open network connections/right click the connection you use (usually local area network or soemthing like that) and click properties/advanced/check enable firewall box. zone alarm is a good firewall. also you may want to check out sygate personal firewall. (http://smb.sygate.com/products/spf_standard.htm) it's free and works really good. i use it over zonealarm.

A software firewall is next to pointless.

Basically it just shows you what's comming in and out, but is easy to break & get around.

They can still come in handy, but personally I think they are a waste of time.
yeah, but you still have to break and try to get around them. so if someone who really wants to hack you will be able to do so eventually but it requires effort and time. it does happen but hackers don't really hack any random person so you don't usually have to worry about being attacked.

i've never been attacked. is there any one here who has?

and iv lost my norton anti virus disc thingy so i cant install it. is there anything i can get off the internet which can act as norton while im waiting to get the 2005 addition??
as for antiviruses go all i use is avg. i was running norton 2003 which i had updated regularly and there were times that avg would find viruses that norton would not and not vice versa. you can get avg 6.0 at grisoft.com (http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_index.php) but they are not offering it after january. that's when 7.0 comes out so be sure to get it when it does. also make sure to update virus definitions on a regular basis.

i would also like to recommend that you do not open any email attachments. only accept them from sources you know like your friends, family or school for instance.

if your running xp keep windows updated. do not neglect the automatic updates that are built into xp.


uh i thinks that it but i feel that i'm leaving something out, if it comes to mind i'll post.

Dont update useless security updates from microsofts updates. If your computer is fine and running smooth, you dont have to update security unless its necessary like a virus/trojan/keylogger alert. Update the latest directx, If your computer is working fine with service pack 1, i suggest you leave it alone, updating to service pack2 might just mess up your whole computer, like it did to mines, made my reboot drives retarded. This is what i mean, update virus/trojan/keyloggers security if microsoft reccommends them, and if you're using windows media, internet explorer, and whatever you use frequently, get the security updates from microsoft for the particular program, do not update careless useless security updates, who knows what microsoft does behind the scenes? :eek:

Dont update useless security updates from microsofts updates. If your computer is fine and running smooth, you dont have to update security unless its necessary like a virus/trojan/keylogger alert. Update the latest directx, If your computer is working fine with service pack 1, i suggest you leave it alone, updating to service pack2 might just mess up your whole computer, like it did to mines, made my reboot drives retarded. This is what i mean, update virus/trojan/keyloggers security if microsoft reccommends them, and if you're using windows media, internet explorer, and whatever you use frequently, get the security updates from microsoft for the particular program, do not update careless useless security updates, who knows what microsoft does behind the scenes? :eek:

All Direct X is used for is games. That's even more useles than a security update. Unless you are in fact a gamer (looks at self)


SP2 is well worth the download. Don't believe me? Run netstat -a on a sp1 machine and compare it to a sp2 machine. You will see that all the unused ports have now been closed.

XP SP2 Firewall has a unique feature that opens and closes ports in real time/on demand for windows applications. Most firewalls can't do that.


I would say though, don't install sp2 on your computer unless you are doing a fresh install. And I would advise everyone to do that as well hehe.

I've been hearing some bad stuff about the new SP2. I haven't noticed anything with my computers since I put it on. What is wrong with it?

I've been hearing some bad stuff about the new SP2. I haven't noticed anything with my computers since I put it on. What is wrong with it?

Basically it can mess up your computer if you install it after you install all your applications.

It's reccomended that people do a fresh installation of Windows XP, Install SP2, and then install their applications to get the best stability.


Personally, I've been using it from day one and have yet to find a single problem either on a fresh install or when I did it on top of everything else.

The only thing that i've noticed with it is that any program that wants to access the internet gets stopped, and a window pops up asking if you want to grant the program permission to get to the net. Which, i think, if you know what your doing, then there shouldn't be any problem. Leave it to the people that, you know, "really shouldn't own computers", to make things more difficult for the computer gurus.

Well that's the built in firewall, which can be turned of from the control panel

If you just did a fresh install, download all the service packs and updates before you install your programs for the best results. XP SP2 has had some issues with installing it after other programs have been running but I have yet to come with that problem.

Also I would download a program like Spybot: Search and Destroy (http://www.download.com/Spybot-Search-Destroy/3000-8022_4-10289035.html?tag=lst-0-2) or Adaware (http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-SE-Personal-Edition/3000-8022_4-10319876.html?tag=lst-0-1) . Also ZoneAlarm (http://www.download.com/ZoneAlarm/3000-10435_4-10346118.html?tag=lst-0-5) is a really good free firewall.

I haven't read all the replies to this thread, but I'll give my advice anyway:

First, download AVG Free Edition from here (http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2/). I prefer this to ALL the other Anti-virus programs I've tried, including Norton and McAfee. Update it and scan.

Secondly, download Windows Service Pack 2 from www.windowsupdate.com. Once that's finished, you can check windowsupdate again for any critical updates that still remain. Windows SP2 has a built-in firewall that does the job very well.

Thirdly, download Ad-Aware and Spybot S&D.

Lastly, download a good browser (http://www.getfirefox.com) and a good email program (http://www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/) if you need one.

With all those (providing you update them regularly), you should have a pretty secure PC.

Windows SP2 has a built-in firewall that does the job very well.
your being sarcastic right? the firewall built into windows SP2 is not very good, get a better one as soon as you can. i laugh at MS for such a lame exuse for a firewall.

Only skimmed through this topic, but it doesn't seem that anyone has recommended an actual anti virus program.

I recommend AVG 7 Free Edition, available from here (http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2/). It's what I use, because it does the job, and it does it well. Uses less resources than all the others I've tried (McAfee, Norton, Panda), and best of all: it's free.

I agree with Luna about the SP2 firewall. It does the job, and it's free. 'nuff said.

No, I'm not joking :/

The SP2 firewall does the job and it's free. 'nuff said.

It also helps that it does the job while at the same time not eating your RAM.

Again...

www.antivirus.com

Trend Micro rawks! It's updated almost everyday on line. I haven't got problems in ages!

sure it may not be a ram hog like some of the firewalls you have to pay for.

i have a mediocre computer, 1.2 celeron (yuck) 512 sdram, and i'm able to keep my free firewall up, while i play 2 instances of darkage of camelot. and anyone who is familar with that game would know how much of a resource hog it is. minimum requirements are like 300 some odd ram, 1.5 p4 or equivalent and 32mb video card. recommended specs are like 512ram, 2ghz p4 and 128mb video card.

to make a long story short i'm running sygate, and most of the time i barely even notice that it's even running while i cap my ram and burn up my crappy celeron.

I have windows 2000. When I used the Norton Antivirus firewall it would slow everything down, and I had to reboot my computer every week cos viruses would always get through. Now I have Zonealarm for a firewall and Norton Antivirus as a virus scanner, but I don't have auto-protect on Norton because it does slow everything down. Along with Ad-aware 6.0, I've had nothing come through for months :D
And also you should never click on pop ups, especially the ones that say "You have to install etc to view this page" and looks like an install program or something, even if you click no or the X button it'll still install, the whole thing's one big secret button, so best do alt + F4 (Unless it's actually from Microsoft, then it's ok). :p

There's a solution to that.

Get Firefox (http://www.getfirefox.com)!

sure it may not be a ram hog like some of the firewalls you have to pay for.

i have a mediocre computer, 1.2 celeron (yuck) 512 sdram, and i'm able to keep my free firewall up, while i play 2 instances of darkage of camelot. and anyone who is familar with that game would know how much of a resource hog it is. minimum requirements are like 300 some odd ram, 1.5 p4 or equivalent and 32mb video card. recommended specs are like 512ram, 2ghz p4 and 128mb video card.

to make a long story short i'm running sygate, and most of the time i barely even notice that it's even running while i cap my ram and burn up my crappy celeron.


First tell me why you need a firewall, and then tell me, In Detail, how the Sp2 Firewall is not good enough compared to a third party program.

The Sp2 firewall has features that some of the most advanced third party programs don't even begin to offer.

Unless you need to monitor what applications are on the net, and keep logs, Sp2 will do the job just as well. If that's the case though you most likely have security issues, and require such things to keep trojans and spyware from accessing the net.

Luna 1 jux 0

http://forums.csnation.net/images/forumicons/bowdown.gif

Jux 0 Luna 1i didn't know it turned into a competition, i guess i missed something.

i guess what it all boils down to is a matter of taste, and my taste are obviously different from you all. i perfer 3rd party programs because microsoft doesnt' have a good track record of being 'secure'. there are more security holes in microsofts initial programming than in all the slices of swiss in the world. that's why SP2 exists. and windows still isn't 100% secure and i don't think i will ever be. and if it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside to use 3rd party applications that the first party had lacked in the first place, by golly then i'm gonna use them. besides they help me sleep better knowing that i've had less problems with XP now than before, and it's not soloely because of SP2.

the last thing i wanted to do was to turn this into a debate of who is right and who is wrong. i don't think anyone is in this case. so i gues i'll just leave it at that.

Now if you had said something along the lines of "I prefer 3rd party firewalls to MS's" then that would have been fine, but you didn't say that. Your words:
i laugh at MS for such a lame exuse for a firewall.
And now you're saying you don't have any evidence to back your claim up. Instead you're just judging them (MS) from other software they've made and from stories you've heard.

No software is bug free, but what does it matter when there are people who work tirelessly to exploit bugs in one specific piece of software (e.g. Windows). If those people spent as much effort exploiting bugs in (for example) Mac OS, then the story might be different.

And now when MS actually does something about the security of their programs, you still decide to be ignorant and call their efforts a "lame exuse[sic]"

I don't like MS as much as the next person, but to blindly say that their software is a "lame exuse[sic]" is just wrong.

Meh.

i didn't know it turned into a competition, i guess i missed something.

i guess what it all boils down to is a matter of taste, and my taste are obviously different from you all. i perfer 3rd party programs because microsoft doesnt' have a good track record of being 'secure'. there are more security holes in microsofts initial programming than in all the slices of swiss in the world. that's why SP2 exists. and windows still isn't 100% secure and i don't think i will ever be. and if it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside to use 3rd party applications that the first party had lacked in the first place, by golly then i'm gonna use them. besides they help me sleep better knowing that i've had less problems with XP now than before, and it's not soloely because of SP2.

the last thing i wanted to do was to turn this into a debate of who is right and who is wrong. i don't think anyone is in this case. so i gues i'll just leave it at that.

It's not a debate at all, I am just saying the sp2 firewall is not bad at all, and 3rd party programs are not needed unless you need advanced features such as keeping logs and monitoring applications.

Past track records don't really hold up in a firewall discussion b/c MS has never had a firewall before. There is nothing to compare it to except what you read on the net which is uneducated FUD.

If you look at the features of it though, it's pretty decent.


All software firewalls can be hacked anyway, so no matter which one you choose, someone can find a way past it.

If your really worried in internet security then by a router with a hardware firewall. I use Norton 2005, and have never had a problem with norton. In fact during my Honours year at university, it removed a virus which had spawned itself 3000 times and managed not to destroy my project. Keep with Norton ever since. I'm still running XP SP1 as SP2 breaks too much for my liking. As long as you don't open emails with attachments from people you don't know you shouldn't get a virus anyway. I use Firefox for my browser and Thunderbird for my email... :)

If your really worried in internet security then by a router with a hardware firewall. I use Norton 2005, and have never had a problem with norton. In fact during my Honours year at university, it removed a virus which had spawned itself 3000 times and managed not to destroy my project. Keep with Norton ever since. I'm still running XP SP1 as SP2 breaks too much for my liking. As long as you don't open emails with attachments from people you don't know you shouldn't get a virus anyway. I use Firefox for my browser and Thunderbird for my email... :)

what does it break?

That is if you install it correctly, and not on top of anything.

Now if you had said something along the lines of "I prefer 3rd party firewalls to MS's" then that would have been fine, but you didn't say that.
perhaps my choice of words were poor but i was simply stating my disgust and overall displeasure with XP's firewall. next time i'll think carefully on how to word my posts more properly.

the only thing i have to back up my claim is from what i've heard, read and experienced. i'm not a firewall guru, but i can tell you is my experience with SP2 firewall versus a 3rd party one. all i can say is that 3rd party firewalls won me over. i just use what works for me. XP's firewall works for you then by all means use it.

what does it break?

That is if you install it correctly, and not on top of anything.

Basically the TCPIP Stack has been altered to prevent hundreds of connections from being opened at once, which is a good thing, however it can play havoc with Bittorrent and anything else which needs a number of connections opened at once. Believe it or not it also breaks a lot of microsoft products including the office suite. There website details everything which breaks, or semi-breaks.

Yeah, I read something about the max number of connections being limited in SP2, but I haven't personally noticed any difference. I still get max speeds in most torrent downloads (provided the torrent is actually alive.. most of the time the trackers dead or something :mad: )